


You'll find out eventually

by ahriasunday



Category: Hello! Project, Morning Musume., S/mileage | ANGERME (Band)
Genre: A LOT OF PERSONAL PROJECTING, Awkwardness, F/F, I ADDED THE TAGS IDC ANYMORE find me sue me, THIS DOES NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF MY EMPLOYERS, however i put a lot of work into it, i stress wrote bc quarantine, im a lil ashamed to post this, koi wa magnet is an acceptable song to kiss to, miki if youre reading this im SO sorry, this is gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahriasunday/pseuds/ahriasunday
Summary: A very slow and torturous journey through feelings.
Relationships: Kaga Kaede/Sasaki Rikako
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Not Naming the Feelings of Avoidance

From the very beginning nothing seemed particularly unusual about their friendship, going about their ways while training, getting along as much as anyone possibly could. The inherent rival mentality that always came with being a Kenshuusei would always halt things before they got too serious. For Rikako, the idea of not ever getting to debut was terrifying, and so she kept going while trying her best not to let her social nature get in the way.

S/mi- no- ANGERME was now a huge responsibility that came with a huge amount of relief, after all she had finally debuted. Although she would not forget her friends from training, now it was time to have different focuses, naturally so. It was nothing that wasn’t expected, except that she now found herself missing the people she used to be surrounded with at times, one specific person more than the others, but she shook it off because after all it’s not like any of them were extremely close.

When Kaede finally debuted two years later, there were many tears shed for different reasons. There was the relief, but also the exhaustion from long practices, there was the first tour, and the graduation that came too soon. Compared to them both she was considerably much less of a cryer, but all of the combined events called for these reactions. After a while, she couldn’t tell if it got easier, or if she had just built up the endurance to forget about the difficult things and focus on the job.

The good thing about them both no longer training is that a lot of things got easier, including the ability to just be friends like normal people, as normal as idols could get. It was fun to blog about their hangouts too, and read each other's blogs. So they kept it up, and it was neat like that for their friendship.

So when did things begin to change?

They had normal fights like friends do over silly things, or over miscommunication. But one day Rikako had gone silent for a while, and she didn’t even know herself why. Kaede at first hadn’t questioned it, after all they both had things to do, but it didn’t stop her from worrying. After a couple of weeks of dead silence, she decided it was probably her duty to reach out first.

_ Sasaki, did you die?? _

She looked at what she had typed, wondering if that was appropriate or too harsh. After all she sometimes had let her uninterested persona slip into her personal life and accidentally upset her friends before. Shaking her head she deleted it and tried again.

_ Sasaki, have you been doing well? _

A little formal, but they hadn’t spoken in a while so it was entirely fair. After hitting send she went off to read manga, forgetting about her phone until she heard it buzz again.

_ I’m fine. _

That was Kaede’s cue to know things were not fine, if things were fine Rikako would have started going off about something good that had happened, and then asked her how she had been. It was the pattern they had going on whenever they didn’t speak to each other for a while. This was very unlike her.

_ Are you sure? I haven’t heard from you in a while and I miss you a lil. I thought I’d enjoy getting to read my manga in peace but it’s kind of boring if my phone isn’t buzzing every 5 minutes. _

On the other side of the phone, Rikako was having a bit of a crisis. It is true she had been avoiding Kaede, but she couldn’t answer to herself why at all. Was she bored? I mean, not really, and it’s not like she was too distracted with her group mates or other Hello! Project friends to send a message. But the thought of it had weighed her down recently.

_ “I miss you” _

Why was she focusing on that so much? I mean Kaede in her true fashion complimented and insulted her in the same sentence. All in good nature of course, but this was how they usually talked. Nothing different, so why was she overthinking it? She decided to reply.

_ Aww, you worried about me? Sorry about that, I got busy and then I forgot to text you. Please accept this as a token of my forgiveness. _ （ ͡◕ ᴗ◕)つ━━✫・*。✿✿✿

Back on Kaede’s end, she couldn’t help but laugh, Rikako came up with the silliest things sometimes, it genuinely brought her joy. It also allowed her to be just as creative and absurd with her responses.

_ Sorry isn’t enough! You have to make it up to me somehow, maybe we should go out to that coffee shop you mentioned a couple months ago, and then Karaoke. Maybe afterwards I’ll decide if I forgive you or not. _

_ Sounds like a great idea to me! See Dii, you come up with good plans on your own, you don’t need me to make our plans for us all the time. _

_ You go out more than I do, and you ask me to go out more than I do, it always makes sense to have you choose what to do. I guess I’m learning from the best though. _

_ Hmph! That makes sense, but now that I know you’re learning don’t be mad when I ask you to make plans! _

_ As long as you don’t get mad if I choose to go to a manga cafe. _

_ I told you I don’t mind it, but you get salty when I start asking what you say are “ridiculous questions” _

_ That’s because you keep skimming to the end of the stories and spoil things for me by asking about what happened! You know I hate spoilers but you “innocently” do it all the time. _

_ Well it’s just confusing! _

_ It wouldn’t be confusing if you actually read it properly from the beginning. _

They went back and forth like that for a while, Rikako defending her stance on skimming, and Kaede defending her stance on reading and insisting she was spoiling her on purpose. Eventually the focus shifted back to the original conversation and they’d agreed to hang out the next Sunday when they were both free. Neither of them would admit it, but that night they fell asleep looking forward to something for the first time in a while.


	2. It's a magnet called love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they go out to karaoke, maybe kith

Sunday arrived and Rikako was up earlier than usual getting ready, as was the usual thing to do. Having something to look forward to always has her walking with a pep in her step. Kaede was in a similar position, though she was a bit more nervous since it had been a while since she hung out with anyone really. Not that she was a total loner but she much preferred alone time focusing on her readings. There were a few people besides her group mates she could hang out with normally and not feel totally exhausted or overwhelmed.

When they met up at the place it was nice and cozy, and for it being a Sunday, there weren’t a lot of people. Kaede chose a booth closest to a corner near a window, after being asked where they should sit. Nice lighting, comfy seats, this was a perfect spot. When they’d finally ordered they got into another conversation about manga cafes, since Kaede wasn’t willing to let her saltiness over spoilers go. Rikako just laughed at her, which was a little irritating because manga spoilers were a serious matter. At least she thought so, but this was normal for them.

After a few minutes there was a lull in the conversation as they ate and commented on how good the food was. Then Rikako felt she was being stared at, and she looked up and saw Kaede giving her a look as though she wanted to say something. It was a look that usually came before a serious conversation, one that she definitely had not predicted this time.

Normally Rikako knew what would be upsetting to Kaede, right after saying or doing the said upsetting thing. It was hard for her to stop and acknowledge it at that moment though, so they talked about it another time. But this time she didn’t know what it was, she thought they had already cleared up the whole not talking for a couple of weeks thing. I mean they were here hanging out, she was making it up to Kaede!

“So, has everything really been okay lately?” Kaede was staring at her intently as she spoke, she had a comforting smile, it almost made Rikako want to open up.

Except again, Rikako didn’t know why she hadn’t spoken to her, except for the fact she had this strange nervousness and excitement she was trying to avoid. It only popped up around Kaede and so naturally it came to be she avoided Kaede too. “It actually has!” Rikako gave her a matter-of-fact look and tone “I don’t know how I forgot to text you really, I know I probably worried you, I’m sorry. You know I get caught up sometimes with everyday stuff and I didn’t mean to forget to text you.”

There was a slight waver to Rikako’s voice that made Kaede not want to believe her, but she also realized she was probably cornering the poor girl who had just forgotten to text her. So she smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’m glad things are okay. Just remember, don’t stay sad alone and don’t stay mad alone.” Rikako nodded to Kaede’s response, and then smiled just like she did before she decided to tease her.

“Of course Dii. Instead I can make you mad with me by spoiling your favorite mangas and we can be mad together.” Taking a sip of her coffee, she watched as her lunch partner rolled her eyes and carried on with her meal.

As they ate they eventually started talking about work, since it was something that took over both of their lives, and how much they missed seeing certain members in the company. Though Kaede avoided certain names purposely to avoid making Rikako cry, which the latter appreciated since the last thing she needed was to sob over graduations, past present or future, in the middle of a cafe.

After paying they took a walk to digest before heading over to their favorite Karaoke place. It was fun to be able to just sing however you felt like it for friends, though sometimes they both accidentally slipped back into a Kenshuusei mentality and made it a bit of a competition. Today was not one of those days, today they decided just to relax and have fun with it.

After an extremely dramatic duet rendition of C-ute’s SHOCK. They decided to go into solos. It wasn’t uncommon they opted into other group’s songs instead of their own, and the theme this afternoon seemed to be BerryzCute.

In between songs they’d take sips of water, and after a certain point they got peckish again and ordered some snacks. They had paid for three hours, since it was unlikely they’d get to do this again in a while. With the fun they were having those three hours didn’t feel like enough either.

Their booth was loud not just from singing, but from the laughter and the imitation of fans chanting. After a certain point Rikako had slapped her hand over her mouth dramatically exclaiming that they were going to lose their voices. To which Kaede had replied that they were past that point.

After the jokes had died down they had resorted to using their remaining time in the booth to relaxing and taking some selfies for memories. As well as drinking plenty of water so their voices wouldn’t be totally damaged. They opted into having the karaoke machine give them some background music so it wasn’t just them sitting in silence. They had queued up some songs that would have taken up their remaining time, but none they were meant to sing to.

Except that when Country Girls’ “Koi wa Magnet” came on, Kaede had been softly humming to the tune of the song by the time the first chorus arrived. Rikako frowned at her, gently shoving her arm as they sat comfortably next to each other. “No more singing, we agreed.” Kaede just stuck her tongue out at this, but she stopped humming. Instead they had both been singing the lyrics in their brain, along with the backup vocals that would chime every once in a while with the instrumental.

Suddenly Rikako became aware they had been staring at each other when she thought of the next lyrics to the song.

_“Are we more than friends? But we never go any further. The more that I’m attracted to you the more I resist.”_

She felt really warm, and she noticed Kaede’s face had gone pink.

_“Shall we dance? Should I pretend to trip so I can hug you?”_

Was it their imagination? Or were they both gravitating towards each other?  
  


_“Give me love. I can’t even wait until the signal for love turns green.”_   
  


Basically breathing the same air at this point, they looked at each other with wide eyes, mentally asking each other “Really?” They took turns giving quick glances to each other's lips before they settled on each other.

_“Find me, find me, I need you. To love is to be flustered._

_My true, glittering intention is to quickly touch you.”_

Their lips were touching and they’d both stopped, too afraid to move. That is until Rikako tilted more towards her side and clung to Kaede, it was mostly out of being in an uncomfortable bending position. The other girl took this as a sign though, and carefully draped her arm over Rikako to pull her closer. Their lips had moved against each other during this process, and they continued to do so once they settled.

_“Take me, take me, I want you. To dance is to dream._

_The world is dyed by the throbbing of my heart.”_

They were _kissing_ , Kaede thought, she was kissing Rikako, and she didn’t dislike it. In fact, she found this to be enjoyable. Rikako had no thoughts, except that she didn’t want to pull away, she didn’t want to deal with whatever this meant for them both. When there was a moment where they pulled back to look at each other, Rikako was the first to lean in again, and Kaede helped close the gap.

_“Find me, Find me, I need you, To love is to make merry_

_I want to touch your lips ever so softly_

_Take me, Take me, I want you, To sing is to dream_

_Enchant me with the world that only you belong to_

_Embrace me with your bursting sixth sense_

_Catch me with that everlasting sixth sense of yours”_

After what felt like ages the song ended, and the silence brought them back to reality. They were in a karaoke booth and their time was running out! Pulling apart they stopped to stare at each other wide-eyed and frazzled at what had just happened. Kaede blinked a few times and brought her hand up to her lips. Rikako had copied her hand movements as well until she suddenly sat straight up.

“I… drank too much water, I have to use the bathroom” just like that Rikako had gotten up and went to the bathroom. It wasn’t a lie, the nerves and the water did make her wanna go. But now that she was there, she had to think of what she would say upon her return.

Meanwhile at the booth Kaede may have been smiling by herself, but also questioning why she was so happy about this. By the time Rikako returned though, she had started picking up the bottles of water and any snack wrappers.

Rikako stood by the door awkwardly for a bit, building up the courage to say what she had rehearsed to herself in the bathroom. “Uhm, did I make it up to you, y’know, for not texting you?” The sudden question made Kaede look up, and although she wanted to reply with some sarcastic response like usual, she noticed the way her friend looked as though she was gonna run away and instead offered a smile.

“Yeah of course, as always, this was fun.” At hearing this response, Rikako smiled, going over to help Kaede clean up and retire from the karaoke room.

The spot was located in a place where they’d have to split up after leaving in order to go to their respective homes. Which right now, they couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. They did say their goodbyes as usual to each other, even hugging before going home. Kaede got home first, being closer, and texted Rikako.

_Made it home safe, but my throat hurts. I don’t think we should post about this one._

_It's embarrassing to admit we messed up our voices because we tried to imitate animal noises while singing._

Rikako didn’t notice the text until she got home, as she had been listening to music, almost forgetting what had just happened.

_I’m home too! Yeah I agree._

_But if I drink some tea and rest up I should be fine_ (∩╹□╹∩)

_I guess I’ll have to try that too ρ(´-＿-｀●)_

_Goodnight though, don’t stay up too late online._

_Hah! I should be telling you that._

_Also it’s only 8pm, trying to get rid of me?_

_Just kidding, I’m exhausted too, I had a lot of fun today._

_Goodnight._

Neither of them went to sleep. Rikako was awake scrolling through the pictures feeling a little bit sad she couldn’t post them because they both just looked _so cute_. Kaede also stared at the pictures for a while before resigning and repeatedly bashing her face against a pillow on her bed instead of screaming, which is what she really wanted to do.

The next few nights were as restless as this one.


	3. Did it ever happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rikako frustration, and kamiko being a good friend

The most frustrating thing to Rikako about this was how after those events they had seemingly gone back to normal. It was like nothing ever happened! But she had this feeling that Kaede thought about it sometimes too, yet there was nothing to prove it.

To the normal onlooker, she didn’t look concerned at all either. Just Rikako being her usual self, and doing her usual things. But there was always one person to notice when things were off, and that person just always had to be Kamiko. During practices they talked normally but Kamiko had asked her if anything interesting had happened one too many times. Darn her for being so aware!

It didn’t help that as more time went on Rikako went from being chaotic, to just straight up nervous, and it was becoming noticeable to more people. It had been two weeks when Kamiko had finally pulled her to the side to talk.

“Hey after practice let’s go get something to eat together!” It wasn’t a question either, so that’s how she ended up in some random sandwich place, which she didn’t even know where she was since she just let Kamiko drag her here. She was also so nervous about knowing she was going to be confronted that a part of her just blanked out as they walked here in silence.

Whether she had focused or not, the outcome was the same, they were in this sandwich place, waiting for their orders, she had her hands on her lap guiltily. Kamiko tried her best to hide her concerned face, but Rikako was just being so strange. Her replies to conversation were unusually exaggerated, and then suddenly cut short, oh yeah something was definitely up.

Their orders arrived and Rikako started acting a bit more like herself as they talked and ate, mostly because she had been so distracted she forgot she was upset.

Halfway through eating their meal Kamiko gracefully took a sip of her iced beverage and casually just slipped the question. “You know you can tell me if something is bothering you, right?” Rikako almost stopped breathing there, so much went through her mind at that moment, how could she even begin to tell her friend everything that had happened, she didn’t even understand it herself.

“I- I don’t know how to say it.” Was all she managed to croak out.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t have to be said eloquently. Everything you say stays between us too, and you know that. It doesn’t matter how ridiculous.” Kamiko stuck her pinky out, to which Rikako interlaced with her own before they went back to their eating. It was silent for a but, but that was fine because Rikako needed a moment to think.

“I kissed someone.” Rikako paused “but we haven’t talked about it since it happened.” she shut her eyes tightly, not sure what she was expecting.

“Oh… Can I know who it is?” Kamiko’s intuition led her towards a certain answer, but she was afraid of hurting her friend if she was wrong.

“Well you already do.” the words came out before Rikako even acknowledged it, and she instantly felt a little embarrassed. Gosh Kamiko was definitely going to know right away!

Kamiko was now more intrigued, and also felt a little smug for possibly having the right idea, but she didn’t wanna push it “Do you want to tell me who it is?”

“I- uh, yes? But I can’t make myself say it.”   
  
“How about I throw out a bunch of names and you tell me if I’m right.” Rikako nodded to that, and Kamiko had a strategy that would make this easy for her.

Kamiko actually had a pretty good idea of who it was given the timeline of things, and who she last knew Rikako had hung out with. But she felt that if she said it immediately then Rikako might feel a little too see-through, and she did not want to spark another crisis within the other girl.

“So I’m guessing the person is in our company?” Rikako nodded. “Okay so I’ll just throw our group names first.”   
  


“Ooookayyyy.” Kamiko laughed at how defeated she sounded.

“Err… it's not our group right?” Rikako shook her head violently. “Juice=Juice?” Another no. “Tsubaki?” No “Kobushi?” No “Beyooooonds?” No “So it’s Moumusu?” Rikako looked away for a moment before nodding. “Aaah I see.”

Now came the next round of guesses, Kamiko was ninety-five percent sure she had been right all along, but again she didn’t want to shock Rikako. “Uhm, Maria.” the look Rikako gave her was kind of funny, but she didn’t dare laugh as Rikako denied that profusely. Poor girl was so stressed out over this situation. “Okay okay, sorry, again I’m just throwing random names. Uh, I guess I only have one more guess.”   
  
Rikako sighed “Whatever you’re thinking is probably right…”   
  
Kamiko was not willing to let her get away with that, if she was going to acknowledge what happened, she had to face the facts. So she decided to mess with Rikako “Oh? So it is Ishida? Huh I would have never guessed she was your ty-”

  
  
Since they were in public Rikako could only whisper yell “What? No! Okay I know you’re joking, ha ha good one. Except that’s not really funny.” The smile on her face betrayed her.

“So it is Kaedii then?” Kamiko made sure to whisper this in the lowest voice possible

“Shh! Don’t be so loud! I don’t want anyone to know.” Rikako looked around a little bit freaked out.

“We’re the farthest away from anyone else. Are you sure you’re scared of other people knowing? Or are you having trouble accepting what happened?”   
  
“Wait so you have nothing to say about it being Kaedii?”

  
  
“I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I guess I just saw it coming?” Kamiko gave her friend a sympathetic smile. Rikako let her forehead drop on the table, gently.

“My soul is leaving my body, tell Kaedii I’m sorry I died before we could talk about it.” Kamiko just laughed at her, and she sat up again “What? I’m serious! I’m so embarrassed, it's weird though because when it happened I wasn’t embarrassed. And even afterwards we’ve been talking like normal.”

“But you didn’t talk about the kiss?” Rikako shook her head. “Why don’t you ask first?”

  
  
“Because I feel dumb about it?” Kamiko flashed her a look of pity “I’m serious, I just feel like if we talk about it, things will be complicated. What if she doesn’t even like me back?”

  
  
“So you do like her?”

  
  
“I-” she felt like a deer in headlights, come to think of it, that was the first time she really acknowledged it. “I’ve never said that out loud before. I don’t know what came over me-”

  
  
“But you like her”

  
  
“I guess I do… Why are you being so calm about this though? I like Dii, and I kissed her, this should be breaking news!”

Kamiko took another sip of her beverage, giggling “News? Yes. Breaking? Not really. I just think it makes sense, so it doesn’t feel like a big deal. Now come on, take your phone out, she probably feels just as awkward as you do. You’re texting her first, I know you can do it!”

Rikako gave her the strongest pout she could manage, but Kamiko was having none of it. So she pulled out her phone and started typing, glancing up at the other girl for reassurance. It’s not like she and Kaede hadn’t texted at all, but this was the first time since the kiss that she texted with the intention of wanting to talk about it.

_ Hey, are you busy at all this week? _

She placed her phone flat on the table, dramatically letting her hand lower down to hit the send button before quickly locking and flipping it over. Seconds passed, then a minute, and Kamiko let out a breath she had been holding.

“Okay well she probably won’t reply to it right now, don’t think so much about it. It’s still pretty early so she’s probably still at practice or something.”   
  
Rikako nodded, feeling her eyes get a little wet, but she shoved her phone in her pocket and finished her meal. She continued talking to Kamiko for a few more minutes until they’d decided to pay and go. As they exited the place she listened to her friend’s advice.

“Don’t be scared Rikako you’re amazing, and I think everything will be fine honestly. I get the vibe that the feeling is mutual. Just be honest and if tha-” She was cut off when she heard a ringtone.

Rikako’s phone was buzzing and chiming, not for a text no, but a call. Kamiko raised an eyebrow as she looked at the caller ID and made a surprised face. Of course Kaede had to call her all of a sudden.

_ Oh good you picked up, I almost thought you wouldn’t. _

_ Sorry I was a little distracted, I had to finish paying and leave from this place. _

_ So you’re out already? _

_ Yeah but we were just leaving anyways, I was gonna go home, why? _

_ Let’s hang out if you can, you can come to my place if you want. _

_ Well I’m close to my house too, and I kinda wanna get out of practice clothes. _

_ That’s fine too… Wait uh.. _

_ What’s up? _

_ Do you wanna have a sleepover? Since you’ll be going home and all I mean you can pick up clothes and stuff. Also since we might be staying up late anyways. _

_ Oh my god do my ears deceive me? You’re making plans for the second time in a row? You really are learning. But sure! I have some new makeup I think you should try too. _

_ Ugh please- okay fine. I’ll let you this time. I’ll see you there, bye now! _

Rikako said her goodbyes before hanging up and looking over at a puzzled Kamiko. “Uh, I’m having a sleepover tonight” Her friend beamed at her words.

  
“Well see what happens when you reach out? Now go! Have fun, but don’t forget to talk about it.”

  
  
“Thank you so much!” They hugged before going their separate ways.


	4. Romance has just begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the sleepover gets sappy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> errmm i barely proofread this, but here it gets sappy

The pep in Rikako’s step returned on her walk home, she was very much looking forward to this sleepover, completely forgetting about the fact they’d have to have an uncomfortable conversation.

On Kaede’s end was a lot more nervousness though. She had been getting used to things going back to normal as much as she had wanted to address the kiss, and the feelings creeping up in her. But throughout these past couple of weeks there never seemed to be a time that was right. She wasn't going to have a conversation where midway one of them was gonna have to leave to go to practice, or they’d keep each other up all night.

If Kaede was gonna talk about it, she wanted it to feel just as normal as any one of their other conversations. The problem was, she was unsure of how Rikako felt about it, and the only way to know what to talk about it.

When Rikako randomly reached out to her first, she had an inkling she knew it’d be about that. By inviting her over she was making things easier for the both of them, or so she thought. As she got home as soon as possible and showered, the shakiness in her hands grew cleaned up and did everything one should do before having a guest over, there was a feeling of nervousness she just could not shake off.

It was normal to feel nervous before having friends over, right? I mean this wasn’t a normal situation between normal friends. But she did want Rikako to feel at ease, and more than anything, she wanted to feel at ease herself with the whole situation. The sound of the doorbell got her out of her thoughts as she opened the door to a very happy looking, and slightly overdressed Rikako. Right, it was just Rikako, why was she psyching herself out? Seeing her snapped her into reality, and she suddenly felt a lot calmer and more at ease.

Kaede gave her space to take off her shoes and enter the home, leading her over to her room and directing her where to place her stuff.

“I promise these aren’t my pajamas, I just didn’t want to walk over here with them on. Just in case.”

“It makes sense but what could possibly happen on the way here from your house?”

  
  
“A lot can happen Dii! A car could drive past a puddle and splash me.” Rikako took her pajamas and changed in the little corner where her stuff was, which wasn’t a big deal since being an idol called for them to change around each other a lot. Kaede was preoccupied reading another one of her mangas, she hadn’t even noticed when the other girl was done.

“Hey I think I know how that one ends-” As soon as Rikako spoke, she bookmarked the novel and closed it. There was no way she’d ruin this one.

“Enough about manga spoilers, didn’t you say you wanted to do my makeup? The sooner the suffering starts the sooner it can end for me.”

That earned a fake gasp from Rikako “Whaaat? I’m pretty good at makeup if I do say so myself”

“That’s the problem, you’re saying so yourself.” Kaedii sat on her desk chair, watching as Rikako pulled a makeup bag out of her normal stuff. And then another tote bag which apparently had palettes in it. Why so much? Almost as if reading her mind, Rikako answered.

“There’s not that much, I just wanted to make sure my items were safe and cozy on the way here.” Sauntering over to the desk, Rikako got herself situated before looking over at Kaede “Ready?” Kaede frowned, but they both knew if she really didn’t wanna do this, she would have said so ages ago.

Before each step Rikako gave a slightly exaggerated description of what she was going to do, except she had refused to let Kaede look in a mirror. She thought the suspense would be worth it in the end.

“Okay, I’m not done, but I’ll let you look now because I want you to pick out the next item.”

  
  
Looking in the mirror Kaede didn’t think it was too bad, she looked surprised too, making her makeup artist give a smug look. She watched as she pulled out a bunch of lipsticks and lined them up.

Kaede looked in the mirror, and looked at the lipsticks and eventually settled on a light pink nude lipstick. She kind of liked the makeup as it was, and didn’t want her lips to stand out too much. Rikako happily told her what a great choice she made, and with one hand took the lipstick and with the other got a hold of her head to apply it.

“Why do you always want to put it on me?” Kaede pouted, but also gave her a suspicious look.

“Well I’m the makeup artist now, so it’s only fair I do it.” Rikako ignored her rolling eyes and proceeded to apply said lipstick, when she was done she let her look at the mirror again. “There, it looks cute on you.”

Kaede would be lying if she said she didn’t like it, to the point of feeling kind of bad that she’d have to take it off. She took some selfies with it first, just for future reference. “I’m a little surprised, you did pretty well.”

Her friend huffed “I told you I could do it, I’ve been practicing lately!” Rikako started to clean up her makeup supplies, and once she was done storing that away, she looked at the other girl's face again. “It really does look good, but eh, I think you’re cute without makeup too.” Kaede felt her face heat up at the sudden comment, which was a normal comment coming from her. As they both sat on the floor facing each other she felt her nervousness sink in once again, remembering the events of not too long ago.

“Earth to Kaediiiiiiiiiii” she snapped out of it when she noticed a hand waving in front of her face.

“Huh?”    
  


“I was just saying your room looks neat but you were glaring daggers at the desk chair. You know if you really don’t like the makeup you can take it off.”   
  
“No it’s fine I just got distracted thinking about practice earlier today.”   
  


“Ah. Was it something important?”

“No not really, just some dance move..”

Just like that they fell into a slightly awkward silence. Rikako started thinking about the past events again, and Kaede definitely had it on her mind. Taking a deep inhale, and letting out a sigh, Rikako took Kamiko’s advice and took a first step again.

“Dii…”

  
  
Kaede’s head perked up as she looked at the other girl “Yeah?”

  
  
“What did we do that day?”

  
  
“Which day?”

  
  
“Last time we went for karaoke.”

  
  
“Well we obviously sang.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” Rikako was growing a little frustrated with the blunt avoidance. It felt unfair to her, she was trying to initiate an open conversation about their possible feelings. Kaede noticed too how her eyebrows were furrowed and her shoulders tensed up.

“Sorry, I’m being difficult aren’t I? Well, I know that we got really close and- well you know what happened I can’t say it!”

  
  
“It’s okay, I can’t say it either… But what does it mean?”

“I don’t know.” Kaede had looked down now. They were both afraid of rejection even though they knew the feelings had to be somewhat mutual. 

“Well, I like you” Kaede perked up at that, and she noticed Rikako almost looked like she was going to cry. “And I don’t know if you like me, or if you even like girls, but we kissed so it must mean something but honestly if you don’t like any of this I could pretend and everything can go back to normal and-” She stopped talking as she felt a hand on her wrist and was interrupted.

“Woah woah, you’re saying a lot of words there very fast. You didn’t even let me react to your confession” Kaede grumbled that last part, sliding her hand down to meet Rikako’s. She was trying to keep it calm but she knew she probably looked extremely red. “I like you too. I don’t think I would have kissed you if I didn’t like you. In fact, I think if it were any other person I’ve gone to karaoke with, I probably wouldn’t have stared at them long enough to be in that predicament.”

Rikako was smiling now, taking a hold of Kaede’s hand and squeezing it softly. She got a squeeze back, and that was enough to make her start crying. She unconsciously brought their hands up to her face and sobbed into it, making the other girl panic.

“Wait did I say something wrong?”

In between sobs she managed to get out a “No, I was just super nervous. I’m so relieved now, super relieved.”

“Aww, it’s okay, I was stressed out too.” with her free hand, Kaede patted her head. She felt a little teary eyed herself but it was mostly from seeing her emotional display. Wiping off some of her tears, she scooted closer to grab her other hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t try to talk about it.”

Rikako looked up at her, finally done crying “It’s okay, I didn’t either.” her smile went from normal, to scheming. Just as Kaede was about to ask her what was going on, she was suddenly, and a bit violently pulled into Rikako. It seemed like the latter did not know what she had done either, as she ended up falling back, her head hitting the floor with an audible thud. Kaede’s head awkwardly landed on her neck and a slight choking sound could be heard.

“Ow, that hurt.”

“Oh no, sorry.” Kaede adjusted herself so half of her body was on the other girl, holding herself up with her forearm, she’d also moved her arm up to cup the bottom of her head. “There, hopefully the floor doesn’t hurt you anymore.”   
  
“It’s a little late for that, but I appreciate it.” Rikako folded her arms over the other girl, looking up at the ceiling. She had intended to simply pull her into a hug, but this would have to do.

“Hmph..” Kaede let her head gently drop on her shoulder, her heart had been racing and she just noticed it. Somehow feeling calm enough to close her eyes, she focused on her own breathing for a while to calm down. She couldn’t lie to herself, the girl she was laying on was comforting, and she found herself unconsciously snuggling into the comfort.

Rikako also found herself spacing out, but after a while of not feeling much movement from Kaede, she gently patted her heat and played with her hair a bit. Still no movement so she stopped.

“Did you fall asleep?” That earned her a response in the form of a grumble.

“No, but I almost did.” With the hand not under Rikako’s head, she reached out to grab her wrist and place her hand on her head again. “Keep doing that.”

Rikako could only laugh and resume her earlier movements, after all, who was she to tell her no? “So, when did you realize you started to like me?”

So Kaede told her about the little moments that had made her think something was up with herself. But she never thought of saying anything, since she didn’t want to think about the feelings and possibly ruin what they had going on. She admitted to screaming into her pillow a couple of times, which made Rikako feel a lot better when she told her side of things. Even being as honest to reveal the reason she had initially ignored her those two weeks was because of those feelings.

They talked a lot about feelings that night, and what they meant and how it affected them. Shifting positions a couple times as Kaede’s hand fell asleep, and they wanted to look at each other while talking. There came a point where it was inevitable to hide their yawns though.

“What time is it?” Rikako was tired, she had to ask.

“Oh it’s almost 11, we should sleep.” Kaede got up a bit clumsily due to having laid down so long, and helped Rikako up, staring at her shirt suddenly.

  
“What?” Rikako looked down, feeling a bit self conscious before realizing Kaede had spread the makeup all over her pajamas. Though she didn’t mind at all “It’s fine. Let’s just wash up and get to bed.”

  
  
Kaede insisted on letting her borrow a shirt to sleep in though, mostly she didn’t want the makeup getting into her own bed, but she didn’t wanna say that out loud. Taking off her makeup, she washed up before letting Rikako have the bathroom. When they’d both met in the room again, Kaede was already in bed, and this time it was Rikako’s turn to cuddle up to her. It came pretty naturally to them, and they slept peacefully that night.


	5. Jealousy Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kaedii doesnt realize they hadnt made things official

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i also didnt proofread this

The next morning was very peaceful for the both of them, Rikako waking up first, a little panicked at first since she had forgotten where she was. But she realized the real panic lied in not waking up a very sleepy Kaede wrapped around her. She thought she’d be fine stretching her arms up and it wouldn’t be an issue, but then came the grumbling.

“Get back here… s’early… too early…” Kaede reached up and settled Rikako’s hands in her head.

“I didn’t even go anywhere” Though she had her eyes closed, Kaede could tell her head patting machine was pouting, but still complied.

Kaga - 2 [Counting the previous night]

Sasaki - 0

Eventually they had to get up, Kaede did have a schedule in the early afternoon, but at least they were free to sleep in. They slept for a bit longer, before settling on some awake lazy morning cuddling. But as noon neared, they had to get up and get cleaned up and ready. They’d decided on a brunch close to Kaede’s house, since they hadn’t gone out in a while, and so Rikako wouldn’t have to lug her things around too long.

They had a nice meal together, talking about their schedules for the upcoming dates, more than usual too. There were opportunities for them to be around each other, or at least meet in between rehearsal breaks and lunches. They didn’t feel too terrible about having to spend the rest of the day apart after assuring each other they had more time.

That night when Kaede got home, she realized Rikako had “forgotten” the lipstick from the night before on her desk. Real smooth, she thought to herself before going to bed, exhausted. But not before shooting a goodnight text.

Now, even though they had agreed they would see each other throughout the week, those promises seem to fall through.

Kaede had been under the impression somehow that Rikako might be the first to be jealous, because she did sometimes get a bit too affectionate with Sakura. In fact, she had rehearsed the scene in her brain like a drama, preparing herself on how to deal with it.

It had come as a complete shock to her when she realized the person that was jealous was herself. It wasn’t Rikako’s fault though, she was just really sociable, and people liked talking to her, and talking about her. This week it seemed that Maria especially could not stop talking about her. Was it always this way, or did Kaede suddenly become sensitive to it?

Besides them not actually meeting up the ways they said they would, mostly because a different person would already be talking to Rikako and she didn’t want to interrupt, they did text normally. It wasn’t like they weren’t able to see each other at all either, but after the weekend had passed and Rikako had hung out with Maria, Kaede was extremely frustrated. How could she even begin to approach the situation?

She felt silly towards herself too for making false assumptions and thinking she could somehow be above feeling jealous at any point. Not even manga was distracting her. She just thought having a girlfriend would be simple, especially Rikako, since they already understood each other well.

Her mental spiral had been interrupted by a buzzing on her phone, Rikako had finally texted that she would be able to hang out. Which was good, very good. Kaede got a bit giddy at this. Their schedules gave them very limited time as of recent.

The next day Maria’s comments about Rikako didn’t bother her as much either, but there were a couple of times she had just zoned out entirely. It did make sense though, the three of them were mutual friends and had hung out together. But now it was different, Rikako was her girlfriend after all.

It felt like forever before the weekend came and they got to see each other. They had agreed to visit a museum nearby, and it was honestly very convenient for Kaede. There were times she had forgotten all about her jealous feelings, but suddenly they would randomly come back, and every time Rikako noticed something was off. Luckily she could mask it under feeling emotional about some historical thing connected to some artifact, and move on.

There was a restaurant by the museum too, that was themed after it which they agreed to eat at. However this meant Kaede could no longer hide behind museum artifacts, and had been prepared to come up with better excuses, but surprisingly Rikako didn’t ask or say anything. She ate and talked and laughed normally like the brunch they had the morning after the sleepover.

Before it would begin to get dark, they decided to spend the rest of the daylight walking and enjoying the outside. Eventually stumbling upon a park they both knew, they agreed it’d be best to rest there before going home and found a nice bench spot under the shade of a tree near a pond.

“My legs feel like jelly, we’ve walked a lot today.” Rikako looked around before stretching her legs out on the bench.

“It’s not as bad as practicing all day though.” Kaede commented, staring into the water for a bit. Negative thoughts quickly resurfaced, but she didn’t wanna dampen the mood. It was too late though.

“What’s been up with you today? You’ve been on and off…” Rikako was staring straight at her, who felt too ashamed to look up.

“I- It’s stupid…” Kaede looked the other direction, but her ears were visibly red.

“Nothing is too stupid when you’re talking to me.”   
  
“It’s just… have you been ignoring me on purpose again? I thought we’d be cool after talking about it.” She’d turned her head back to look at her.

“I- what? I have been?” Rikako looked genuinely confused “I know it’s been hard for us to see each other in between practices, but I haven’t been ignoring you on purpose.”

  
  
“... then why did you choose to hang out with Maria?” Kaede was pouting “I mean it’s fine! You can hang out with her, but I wanted to see you too. I thought you’d want to hang out with your girlfriend…!”

Rikako’s face was almost comical with how her jaw dropped and her eyebrows furrowed together “Huh? Girlfriend?”

That one stung, but they were in public, and even though there was no one around them she wasn’t about to go and cry. “Wait… You mean I’m not your girlfriend?”   
  
“Since when did you ask me out?” Rikako crossed her arms, looking a big smug. Kaede had to think about it, she had just assumed hadn’t she?

“I- uh, well darn… You’re right.” Facepalming, she felt as Rikako slid closer.

“To be honest, I did want to officially ask you out today, but since you were in such a mood I didn’t know if you still liked me or not. But hearing this now, I can’t lie I’m a little flattered. Not that I like you being jealous, but I didn’t think you were that ready to be my girlfriend that you’d already imagined you were…” Of course Rikako would put that kind of spin on things.

Kaede on the other hand was just, sitting there, processing all of this as she brought her hands up to her face. God she was so embarrassed right now, she had such an outburst over a simple misunderstanding. She had to make it up, taking a deep breath she looked back up at Rikako and spoke very deliberately.

  
“Well… Do you want to be my girlfriend?” Rikako gave her a surprised look, but then laughed.

“Don’t look so pained about it”

  
  
“I’m not!”

“You should see your face right now, you totally look like you’re in pain” Rikako stood up. “Come on let’s go home, I unintentionally put you through a lot.”

“Are you gonna answer though? Or are you gonna make me go through more?” Kaede stood up as well, following Rikako as they made their way out of the park.

“Give me some time to think, hmm, oh look at that berry it’s kind of shaped like a pear!”   
  


Kaede rolled her eyes, but when she laid her eyes on the thing she couldn’t help but get sidetracked “Wait you’re right.”

The rest of the way home, Kaede didn’t ask again, she was honestly too tired and exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster to even want to think about it. Instead she let Rikako guide her through conversation, even though she did feel guilty about possibly making her feel bad for not hanging out with her enough.

They ended up passing Rikako’s house first, and so Kaede dropped her off. They exchanged their usual goodbyes and hugs, but before Kaede could leave Rikako asked her to wait as she went inside to get something. It was a little awkward to just hang around outside her house and wait, but eventually she heard her name coming from above.

Above?

Looking up she saw a very happy Rikako hanging out by her window.”Oh good you heard me.”

  
  
“How could I not, you’re a little loud.”

  
  
“My answer is yes.” This caught Kaede off guard, but when she paused to think about it she smiled.

“Yes to what?”

“Don’t push it Dii, goodnight! Get home safe!” At that Rikako shut her window. How could Kaede not have seen it before? Probably because she was too in her own feelings to notice Rikako was once again just as nervous as she was about the situation. This was a smart way to cover up the nerves.

Now it was her turn to walk home with a pep in her step.

She texted Rikako that she had gotten home safe, getting a “good!” as a reply. But right as she was going to bed she got another text.

_ How’s your first night with a super cool girlfriend going so far? _ (・ε・｀)

Kaede couldn’t help but roll her eyes, typing out a response before plopping herself into bed for the night.

_ My heart feels like jelly, but I kind of like it  _ (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ

_ Goodnight. _


	6. KOSOKOSO Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're finally girlfriends, and maybe they'd like to kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope yall enjoy reading, the next chapter is super fun and i was so happy to write it!! This one is a bit shorter btw

So it was official, they were girlfriends, and to celebrate Rikako insisted they should have a sleepover at her house when they could be alone. It worked out well since her family felt better about her if she had a “friend” over. Weirdly enough though they had both been pretty secretive about their weekend plans around others even though it was perfectly normal for the both of them to hang out.

Maybe the whole “girlfriends” thing was getting to their head, at one point they texted about it and agreed that although it was fun, they could get into trouble if caught. That’s a scandal neither one of them wanted to be involved in after working hard to build themselves up for so long. As long as they kept it under wraps it should be fine. They were already friends before after all, this wouldn’t be too strange at all.

Even on the way there with her bags Kaede felt like she should be hiding herself, even taking the bus. Mostly to save energy but also to avoid the very unlikely possibility of running into a fellow member on the way there. Hiding their plans made things even harder this way, but there was a sort of rush that came with it. She felt like she was completing the most important task ever as she approached Rikako’s home, like she was going to complete a mission as if it were some sort of shounen action episode. Fortunately for her she didn’t need to complete a stressful task or fight anyone, she just got to relax and enjoy a night with someone she cared about.

Nevermind, that was a little scary, it’s not like Rikako was a heartbreaker or anything but entrusting someone else with your feelings was overwhelming. At least those feelings were in the right hands, right? Kaede pushed those thoughts aside as she entered the home, welcomed by the warm and comforting smile of a very visibly nervous girl. That’s right, it was just Rikako, a girl who was now apologizing for her basically spotless house, pointing out invisible flaws within the space.

After assuring her things were fine, Kaede let herself get comfortable and for once she felt a bit clingy as they sat to order food before getting impatient and switching the movie they wanted to watch on. She leaned on Rikako, head on shoulder and arms around the waist as the other girl allowed herself to be cuddled against. They hadn’t even noticed they had both tipped over until the doorbell rang and they had to get up from their sides after managing to lay down unknowingly.

They ate as they watched the movie, commenting on things here and there but mostly being really into what they were watching. Eventually they resumed their earlier cuddling position and Kaede had been once again thinking about things a lot. Mostly about Rikako and herself.

When the movie ended they finally let out all of the thoughts and ideas and critiques they had on it, and settled on ordering some boba as a treat. They talked about their feelings quite a lot, and Kaede had been embarrassed to admit she had been liking Rikako for longer than she even knew herself. Rikako had apparently harbored feelings much longer, and these confessions made them both feel more comfortable about the situation around each other.

Except Kaede didn’t feel too comfortable about one thing, and it was that they hadn’t kissed at all since that karaoke night. No- what was really making her feel so uncomfortable was how much she had allowed this to take over her brainspace as Rikako was sitting right there with her talking to her. She felt so strange, suddenly wanting to be kissed and feeling betrayed as Rikako got up to get their boba from the delivery person.

Is this what liking someone does to a person? If it is then Kaede wished she could just go back to when these feelings weren’t as intense, and to when this didn’t feel so real. The problem was knowing that she probably could kiss her own girlfriend, but she wasn’t at this very moment. It made her a bit pouty as they drank their boba. It didn’t go unnoticed by Rikako at all.

“You seem to be thinking of something fun.” She slightly poked at her brooding behavior “I know I didn’t like the ending either but there’s no need to fret on it.”

Kaede wanted to reply, but she was so busy chewing bubbles all she could do was hold her hand up and be laughed at as she took way too long to swallow. “It’s not that but- ugh now that you remind me it was so annoying.” She watched as Rikako brought the straw up to her lips. “Mm, what does that taste like?”

Rikako stuck her drink forward letting Kaede lean over and take a sip, she’d never tried this boba before and only felt it was fair to let Rikako try her own as well.

“Mm, I like that flavor too but I wanted to try something different today.” Rikako commented after taking a sip of Kaede’s drink. She laughed to herself too. “Hey I think we just had an indirect kiss.”

Before filtering herself Kaede had straight up said “Does it only get to be an indirect kiss?” and Rikako turned red before shaking her head.

“No of course not! I mean-” Kaede interrupted.

“I’m sorry I don’t know what I’m saying.” Taking a quiet sip of her drink, Rikako looked off to the side before letting herself get brave.

“I think you do, and I think it’s fine to ask… I wanted to ask too.” Her vocal volume went down to a hush as she found herself leaning closer to Kaede, an action which was reciprocated.

“So, can we kiss again?” Even though they were breathing the same air at this point, she still felt it was appropriate to ask. As they say, ask and you shall receive, so receive she did.

They were careful with their drinks as they allowed themselves to relish in the action that got them to their relationship in the first place. It felt nicer this time, it wasn’t brought by a sudden spur of emotions, it was just them feeling comfortable with each other. Any worries Kaede held earlier had been forgotten, and Rikako’s nervousness about whether or not she was being a good host had disappeared.

When they pulled away, Rikako couldn’t help but laugh at Kaede’s choice of words.

“I should have gotten what you ordered instead.” She used the beverage as an excuse to kiss her more throughout the sleepover, and the next morning as well.


	7. DOUDOU Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe no secret lasts long at all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was SO excited to write and post this yall have NO idea

Kaede was not normally an affectionate person, there were a few exceptions where she initiated and returned certain gestures out of kindness. But to openly go around being touchy was uncommon and unheard of for her. Rikako knew this well enough getting into a relationship with her, and maybe her dirt low expectations of any public display were what made her surprised those very few times where Kaede would sneakily give her hand a squeeze when passing by. Or even a quick hug. In very rare cases when they were in a crowded room amongst a bunch of other Hello! Project members, she’d let her head rest on Rikako’s shoulder as they took selfies.

Honestly it seemed normal enough, but to Rikako it really meant a lot knowing she was somewhat warming up to her more. Even if it was just for a quick second to avoid being noticed. Before their relationship most of these things would rarely occur, only on an off day, and others would talk about it or Maria would take a picture of them before Kaede threatened her nicely to not post it. Now they didn’t have the luxury of letting any moment last long, even if it had become more common.

You win some you lose some. For Rikako it was all a win though, she didn’t mind if things had to be rushed to avoid suspicion, plus it's not like they could never get any alone time outside of work, their secret dates were getting more and more common after all. As long as they didn’t do anything out of the ordinary at work or in between work schedules, that’s what they agreed on.

Neither one of them expected Kaede to break that rule.

Being an idol was difficult, and if you were a frequent crier it was even more difficult to peacefully find a moment of release. Which is how Rikako found herself on an entirely opposite end of her building on the floor ANGERME was rehearsing at, letting herself cry during a break. It’s not that she was sad, it’s just that for the whole day everything felt inadequate. Dropping her toast in the morning and not having time to make more, forgetting to fill up her water bottle before rehearsals started. It was not a day where she felt that she was giving her all, and that made her upset.

Rikako figured that if she cried she could just let it out before returning, it was that simple to her, and she didn’t want to worry anyone else since this was her own issue. But of course she had to be spotted by someone, no other than her own girlfriend who had been rehearsing in a practice room nearby. Out of all the places she could cry in, she had to cry in the only hallway with a bathroom near that practice room.

“Are you okay?” Kaede asked her and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. “Hold on.” Rikako was left alone again as the other girl went to the bathroom. This was so embarrassing it made her want to cry even more, she just stood there holding back her sniffling that was suddenly too loud and obvious.

When Kaede emerged, she came out with paper towels at least to help Rikako with her messy situation. She took a look at their surroundings. The hallway was a dead end, and it wasn’t too long, one had to go around a corner to access it too, and footsteps would likely be heard from afar if anything. Kaede put her hand on Rikako’s head and patted it.

“It’s okay, I’m sure things will be fine whatever it is.” Rikako let out a little laugh in between sobs, and opened up her arms asking for a hug which her girlfriend kindly obliged her with. That’s when the dam broke and she went from covering her sniffles to loudly sobbing into Kaede’s shoulder. She was rocked softly in her arms as she incoherently let out bits and pieces of her day, which the other girl intently listened to and attempted to piece together.

Not too far from them however, Reina had also decided she wanted to take a bathroom break, humming whatever new song she and the rest of Morning Musume were learning. But she stopped in her tracks as she heard some odd sounds from around the corner. Was someone crying? She slowly approached the wall and took a peak around it, instantly shocked at the sight. Kaede had Rikako in her arms, and was comforting her through an awful crying session.

Reina really wanted to step in and help, but something about it just seemed so intimate she didn’t want to interrupt. Hiding behind the wall she decided to wait it out a bit, after all it would be kind of creepy to just watch. She also calculated her other bathroom options, but she had already made it this far there was no point.

Meanwhile just around the corner Kaede listened as Rikako’s sobs softened up, and she offered her some paper towels to clean up a bit. Rikako pouted looking at the mess she made in Kaede’s shoulder but she just shook her head. She wondered if she could- no it would be too risky. But the hallway was empty right?

Kaede took a quick scan around the area they were in, and she listened for footsteps before looking at a slightly confused Rikako. Her hand going up from her girlfriend’s back going up to softly brush a thumb against her lip allowed for all confusion to be tossed out the window. They both leaned into each other for what they thought would be a quick kiss, except it wasn’t and they melted into each other.

Reina had finally heard the sound of sobs die down, although she still felt nervous for some reason, but either way she took a deep breath and confidently rounded the corner only to witness unexpected romance. It was so shocking she couldn’t even hide her reaction or hide herself in time.

“HUH?!?” She slapped a hand over her mouth just a second too late as Kaede and Rikako had already separated. “I’m so sorry I’m SO sorry I’ll go use another bathroom!”

“Wait wait wait wait!” Kaede was quick to stop her.

“No no, it’s okay! I can go.”

“No!” Rikako jumped in this time, though they didn’t even know what to say, because Reina did stay and all the three of them could do was take turns awkwardly looking at each other.

“I'm really really sorry.” Poor Reina looked so embarrassed, maybe even more than the two girls who had been caught in an intimate moment.

“No I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have- I don’t know what came over me.” Kaede spoke up, she didn’t even know who she was apologizing to.

“I’m sorry too, but please promise you won’t tell anyone!” Rikako gave Reina the biggest pout she could muster.

“Of course I won’t! But I just- I have so many questions and not enough time and I also came here to use the bathroom so… Just give me a minute!” Reina walked quickly past them and when she got into the bathroom the two girls left there couldn’t help but just laugh. They had been so afraid of something like this happening but in the end it was kind of funny how it happened.

It was time for Rikako to get going soon though, and they gave Reina a bit of backstory before promising her they’d tell her all of the details soon enough. Rikako even waited for Morning Musume’s practice to end later than her own so that she and Kaede could both explain the story to her over dinner.

“Wow… That’s so cute. Of course I’d never do anything to jeopardize your relationship! Am I the only one that knows?”   
  


Kaede nodded while Rikako shook her head, and Kaede shot her a pointed look.

“Uh, Kamiko knows, she helped me with asking Kaedii out in the first place.” She explained, and Reina’s face lit up while Kaede looked incredibly surprised.

“Oh can I talk to her about it? Please? I mean it’s going to be difficult holding in all my excitement- You can still trust me! But I want to know.”

They both agreed it’d be fine, and Reina thanked and apologized to them before saying it was late and she had to go home. They were left alone together again, and Kaede was giving her a look as though she wanted to say something, which Rikako acknowledged.

“Kaedii? What’s wrong?”

“Kamiko knew the entire time?” Rikako nodded “I mean, I’m not mad. But I didn’t think you’d keep it a secret.”   
  
“I wasn’t keeping it a secret I promise! I just kept forgetting to tell you. It’s easy to forget about others when you’re around.” That comment had Kaede turning red rather quickly, laughing into her own hand.

“Okay fine… How much longer do you want to stay here? It’s getting late.” Rikako checked her phone for the time.

“Oh it’s really getting late!” Since they had already paid, Rikako just stood up. “Come on we have to get you home!”

Kaede rolled her eyes “Oh please, if anything I have to be the one to get you home safely. Let’s go.”

Even if they couldn’t hold hands on the walk home, they still enjoyed their time with each other.


End file.
